“Stranger Things” cocreators Matt and Ross Duffer have a lot of characters and story lines to keep track of, and that makes for the occasional continuity error.
Part 1 of the Netflix show’s fifth and final season premiered on Wednesday, Nov. 26, and fans noticed some lore inconsistencies. In episode 4 of season 5, which is titled “Sorcerer,” we see a flashback of Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) building Castle Byers with his brother, Jonathan (Charlie Heaton).
The brothers looked happy while constructing the fort on a clear day, a far cry from how Jonathan previously described the memory.
“Do you remember the day dad left? We stayed up all night building Castle Byers, just the way you drew it. … And then it started raining, but we stayed out there anyway,” Jonathan said during season 2 while trying to pry Will’s mind free from the grasp of the Mind Flayer. “We were both sick for like a week after that.”
One “Stranger Things” fan pointed out that the season 5 flashback to the construction of Castle Byers looked much less fraught.
“Jonathan once said that when he and Will built Castle Byers, it was pouring rain and they both got so soaked they ended up sick for a whole week. And it also makes no sense for them to act so normal when it’s literally the day their father left the house,” the viewer wrote via X.
Another fan argued that the flashback was Will’s perspective, not Jonathan’s.
“Will remembers it as a happy day (because of jonathan’s love and care). It’s Will’s own memory he’s pulling from, not jonathan’s version,” the fan tweeted.
READ MORE: See the ‘Stranger Things’ cast ages, from season 1 to season 5
While there’s an argument to be made for the accuracy of the Castle Byers flashback, there’s no explaining away another continuity error involving Will. In episode 3 of season 5, “The Turnbow Trap,” Will’s mom, Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder), says Will was 11 when he was first taken to the Upside Down. But when Will went missing during season 1 of “Stranger Things,” a missing persons poster listed his age as 12.
“Birthdaygate is insane because he was 12, not 11,” one viewer wrote via X.
“Birthdaygate” has been a joke in the “Stranger Things” fandom since season 4. Episode 2 of the season, titled “Vecna’s Curse,” takes place on March 22, which was previously established as Will’s birthday. There was no mention of Will’s birthday during the episode, and the Duffer brothers later admitted that they forgot.
“The honest response is, clearly like the characters in the show, we also forgot about Will’s birthday. So the debate now is whether we adjust Will’s birthday or we just let it be really sad,” Matt told Variety in 2022.
READ MORE: When does ‘Stranger Things’ season 5, part 2 come out?
“It was obviously a mistake, and we’re sorry. We apologize to the fans,” Ross added.
In addition to the continuity errors, some “Stranger Things” fans are confused by Holly Wheeler’s arc. During season 1, Mike Wheeler’s (Finn Wolfhard) little sister looked and acted very young, maybe around 4 years old. Holly was played by twins Anniston and Tinsley Price during seasons 1-4.
Holly is supposed to be around 9 or 10 in season 5. Only four years have passed in the “Stranger Things” universe since season 1, which means she should be more like 8. Holly was recast for season 5, and is now played by 14-year-old Nell Fisher.
“How old is holly supposed to be … like she looks 14 but i swear she was 4 in season 1,” one confused viewer wrote via X.
“Holly wheeler’s age throughout the seasons of stranger things makes ZERO sense,” another fan tweeted.
A third viewer thinks the Duffer brothers are in on the joke.
“I do think it’s funny in stranger things that karen wheeler drunkenly yells at her husband ‘you don’t know how old your daughter is’ in the same episode they’re reintroducing holly, who was six last season, as a 9-10 year old,” the fan tweeted.
Part 1 of “Stranger Things” season 5 is now available to stream on Netflix. Parts 2 and 3 will premiere on Dec. 25 and Dec. 31, respectively.
